Nigerian General leads force against Malian rebels

HEADS of state and governments of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the weekend endorsed the appointment of Nigeria’s Maj-Gen Shehu Usman Abdulkadir as Force Commander of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA).

At the Extra-Ordinary Session of the meeting in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, as contained in a statement issued by the ECOWAS Commission yesterday, the regional leaders also endorsed the appointment of Brig-Gen Yaye Garba of Niger as Abdulkadir’s deputy.

The leaders mandated AFISMA to immediately join the French forces in engaging the Islamic rebels in the North of Mali.

Besides, they urged the United Nations (UN) to support the operations against the Malian rebels with funding and logistics.

Their communiqué reads in parts: “The Heads of State and Government endorses the appointment of Maj-Gen Shehu Usman Abdulkadir (Nigeria) and Brig-Gen Yaye Garba(Niger) as Force Commander and Deputy Force Commander of AFISMA respectively.

“Summit authorises AFISMA contingents to engage in operations with their organic units, and the formation of reserve units from the troops pledged by member states but not immediately deployed under AFISMA

“Authority instructs the President of the Commission to intensify consultations with the Government of Mali, the African Union (AU) and the UN on the speedy establishment of a functional Mission headquarters to facilitate coordination and deployment of AFISMA.

“Authority requests the United Nations to provide immediate logistical and financial support for the deployment of AFISMA pending a UN Security Council decision on a UN logistical support package, consistent with UNSC Resolution 2085 (2012), and bearing in mind the unfolding situation on the ground in Mali that necessitated the accelerated deployment of AFISMA.

“In that regard, Authority welcomes the steps already taken by the UN Secretary-General to present to the UNSC, in the coming days, options on the logistical support that could be provided to AFISMA.

“Authority instructs the President of the Commission to initiate all necessary actions to convene, in close consultation with the AU, a donor conference for the mobilization of financial, material and logistical resources for the deployment of AFISMA.

“Authority instructs the President of the Commission to take all necessary measures to mobilize internal resources in support of AFISMA operations.

“In this regard, Authority calls on all Member States to fulfill their Community Levy obligations as a matter of urgency, and directs the President of the Commission to ensure a follow-up. Authority also expresses gratitude to the Government of Nigeria for the financial assistance to Mali.”

Muslims generals to fight Islamist, what a strategy!this may be an attempt to nail him by accusing him that he supports the militants and court marshal him as a pretense to remove him, since the new era in the country is the era of operations ‘remove Muslims at the top from strategic positions…time will tell